Flexible-foot supporting-column for rock-drilling engines.



J. G. LEYNEB.. FLEXIBLE FOOT SUPPORTING COLUMN POR ROCK DRILLINGENGINES.

\ I APPLICATION PILEDDEO. 12, 1911. 1,065,060.,

Patented June 17, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. G. LEYNER. FLEXIBLE FOOT SUPPORTING COLUMN FOR, ROCK DRILLINGENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.1Z, 1911.

' Patented June 17, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T `1 sTATns PA JOHN'GEORGE LEYNER, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

ien.

FLEXIBLE-FOOT SUPPORTING-COLUMN FOR ROCK-DRILLING ENGINES.

Specidation of Letters Patent.

' Patented June 17, 1913.

Application mea December iz, 1911. 4serial No. 665,330.

vention are: first, to 'provide a flexible footcolumn for supportingrockedrilling engines in rock tunnels and in the shaft-s, stopes,drifts, and other workings of mines. Second, to rovide a supportingcolumn for rock drilv ing engines, that is provided with anautomatically tilting and an angular uneven surface engaging footportion that is removably secured tothe column by a resiliently yieldingconnection. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved column, Fig-2 is atop view of the adjustable foot, detached, Fig. Sis a bottom view of thesame, Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the foot, Fig. 5is a bottom view of the plu in the lower end of the column, which 1s aapted to rest in the adjustable foot, Fig. 6 is a side elevationthereof, Fig. 7 is a top, plan view of the abutment nut at the upper endof the column, Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view illustrating thelower end of a modification in the form of column, the plug' beingdispensed with and the lower end of the column being pyramide-l in form,Fig. 9 is a bottom view of an end of the column shown in Fig. 8; andFig. 10 is a view showing an improved column in position with rockdrilling ,engine mounted thereon in operative position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a pieceof pipe ory .to the' pipe by any suitable means, preferably by a pin 5,which is extended through the plpe and plug nut and is riveted to thepipe. This plug nut is provided with an axial threaded aperture 6, inwhich one end of a threaded rod'7 fits and extends through the nut intothe pipe a short distance. Thisv threaded rod I term the extensionadjustment screw. The opposite end of this threaded rod is provided withan enlarged collar portion 8, through which right-angled apertures 9 areformed, that are. adapted to receive loosely a lever pin, by which thethreaded rod may be turned to screw it into or out of the pipe. Thisapertured turning lever receiving collar portion is formed adjacent tothe extreme adjacent end of the threaded rod, which is of smallerdiameter than the collar, the adjacent side of which forms a shoulder,and on this extreme end of the threaded rod aflat faced pivotal abutmentengaging point 10 is placed, and is secured thereon by a set-screw 10A,which extends thro-ugh the flat point into a circumferential recess 11,formed in the end of the threaded rod, which permits t-he flat head to'turn rotatably on the end of the adjustable screw. The liat end of thisiat point is provided With a plurality of hisel-shaped teeth 12, toenable the end to be indented in walls or other abutment surfaces, andthus secure and prevent the end against slipping movement when screwedtightly against the wall or an abutment surface and under the weight andjar. of a drilling engine in operation. The opposite end of this columnpipe is convergingly pointed, enough to form a chamfered portion 13,which terminates in a closed flat faced end, in which an axial boltreceiving aperture 14 extends. This chamfered bolt receiving end of thecolumns pipe member may be formed on the end of the pipemember as anintegral part of it, as shown in Figq8, o-r it may be, and

preferably is made in the form of an attachable and detachable steel endpiece 15, which is preferably made of cast steel,VV but which may be ofany hard metal adapted 'to take the Wear of the flexible foot 16, ifdesired, as Will be hereinafter described. This removable end piececomprises a plug having a hollow or tubular reduced and shouldered end17, that fits the inside end of the f polygonal lform in cross section.This square pipe and extends into it up against its shoulder, and issecured to the pipe by any suitable means, preferably by a pin 18, whichis extended' through the reduced end portion 'of the plug and the pipeand isriveted to the pipe. The outer end of this plug end piece isprovided with a convergingly solid and closed tapered or chainfered endportion 19, which terminates in a fiat face end, in which an axial boltreceiving aperture 20 is formed.v

The reduced end portion of this plug end piece being-hollow andchambered out down into the chamfered and tapered end thereof,

ythis axial aperture 20 opens into the chamber and hollow end portion ofthe ,end piece. It is essential that this column pipe be held fixed andrigid, and against any turnin or rotation movement; consequently thisen; piece is preferably made square in crosssection, although it may beof any other tapered end of the column is arranged to be connected by aflexible connection to the foot vplate 16, which is .preferably formedand.

arranged as follows: The taper end of the pipe extends into a squarerecess 21, the top sides of which are convergingly beveled to form abearing for the sides of the taper point of the pipe, While the bottomportion v recess 21 is formed.

Through the foot plate abolt receiving apture 24 is formed, whichextends through it from the -center of the recess 21,. A recess 25 isalso formed in the bottom of the foot plate concentric with the a erture24,'Which is made deep enough to inclose a nut 26, below the bottomsurface ofthe foot. A. bolt 27 is extended from the inside of' theadjacent end of the pipe loosely through its.

aperture 20, and through the aperture 24 of the foot plate, and the nut26 is threaded to its end. This bolt 27 is made long enough to receivean expansion spring 28, of lample length ,y and resiliency to permit thefoqt plate to tilt by sliding 'up on one side of the tapered end of thelpipe and down on its opposite side without disengagement from the end ofthe pipe, and the sprlng automati-r cally returns the foot plate to itscentral and right-angled position on the end of the pipe when thev footplate is released from any angular position which it assumes relative tothe position ofthe pipe when set in an operposition ative position in atunnel, shaft, drift, or other stone workings. I preferably use for thispurpose a square wire form of spring, one end of which bears against awasher 29, that is placed on the bolt belou7 its head, and the other endof the spring bears against the end of pipe or of its removable endpiece. A

vwasher 30 is also preferably placed on the bolt between the nut and thefoot plate. The expansive force of the spring draws the nuty 26V upagainst the bottom of the foot plate, and forces the tapered end of thepipe down into and against the top edge sides of the recess in the footplate, and at the same time clamps the foot plate with a resilientyielding pressure against and to the tapered end of the pipe. The bottomsurface of the foot plate is provided with any suitable arrangement ofprojecting chisel-shaped lugs or teeth, which are arranged to beindented into the rock and are adapted to hold the foot plate fromslipping from set positions.

, The operation of my flexible foot columns for supporting rock drillingengines is as follows: rIhe column is adapted to be set in horizontalorvertical or horizontally or vertically disposed or angular positions intunnels, shafts, drifts, or other rock working rock-work tunnels, andthe fo'ot plate is first placed in position where desired, against ayopenings .of mines, railroad, or irrigation block of wood, and owin toits flexible connection with the end o the pipe, it automaticallyadjusts itself to theTuneven surface of thefloor or roof or Wall of theWorking against' which it is placed. The operator then directs andcenters the abutment point of theadjustable screw at the opposite end ofthe pipe, also against a block of wood, and screws it with a lever rodinserted in .the apertures ofthe screw tightly against the opposingsurface of the workings,` in the he desires'to set the column, and thusbraces and secures it rigidly. mounts on it a rock drilling engine, bymeans of a chuck which is illustrate in Fig.

He then 10 and which is attached to the rock drilling v engine and isadapted to be clamped around the pipev of the column,v and-as the plpe1S round and is held against rotary movement yby its square end beinginserted in the square aperture of the foot plate, it cannot turn',

and .it permits the drilling engine to be clamped to it in any desiredposition. T0 loosen the column it is only necessary to unscrew thethreaded rod. The flexible foot plate, owing to its automatic action infinding a bearing for itself, enables the column to be quickly and veryfirmly and rigidly vset up by operators in 'rock workings the surfacesof which, owing to the rock being blasted out, are rough, jagged, anduneven. While I have illustrated and described the preferredconstruction and arrangement of my improved flexible foot column, I donot wish to be confined to the construction and arrangement shown, asmany changes might be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new -and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

l. A column for supporting rock drilling engines, comprising a piece ofpipe, and an abutment engaging portion adjustably -secured within oneend of said pipe, said pipe having its opposite end provided with aconvergingly tapering polygonal form of end terminating in a fiat facedend provided with an axial aperture, a bolt within the tapered end ofsaid pipe extending through and beyond the aperture in the endof saidipe, and an expansive spring mounted on said bolt within the end of saidpipe and with a foot plate provided with a polygonal recess and aclearance space and arranged to it slida'bly over and against the sidesof the polygonal shaped end of said pipe and to tilt and rock thereon,and provided with an aperture extending throughA the bottom of said footplate from the bottom of said recess and extending over the projectingend of said bolt, and a nut threaded to the end of said bolt andarranged to bolt said foot plate under an expansive tension pressure ofsaid spring against the end of said pipe.

2. ln a column for supporting rock drilling engines, a Supporting bar,having an adjustable abutment engaging portion at one end, said barbeing provided with a convergingly tapering polygonal shaped end portionat its opposite end, a bolt within said polygonal shaped end projectingloosely through said end, and an expansion spring mounted on said bolt,with an abutment engaging foot plate provided with a polygonal recessand a clearance. space, the upper edges of the side walls of said recessadapted to engage the sides of the convergingly tapering polygonal endof said bar in such a manner as to tilt or rock thereon, said foot platebeing bolted by said bolt to said bar in such a manner that theexpansive force of the spring on said bolt holds said foot plate againstthe end of said bar and permits it to automatically tilt when it isplaced against abutment surfaces that are at an angle to the directionof said bar.

3. In a column Jfor supporting rock drilling engines, the combination ofa pipe bar provided with an adjustable. abutment engaging portion at oneend, said pipe bar being provided with aour sided square converginglytapering hollow end portion at its opposite end from said screw, havinga l'at terminal end provided with an aperture through it into itsinterior, a bolt withi it? in said tapering hollow end arranged toextend through `and beyond the saine, and

an expansive spring on said bolt between said hollow end `and the headof said bolt, an abutment engaging foot-plate, a nut lthreadedcto thebolt beyond said abutment engaging foot plate, said foot-plate' beingprovided with a socket recess and a clearance space in whichsaid'pipebar is tiltably seated. v

' 4. column for rock-drilling engines, comprising a supporting tubehaving a converging lower portion, a foot-plate having a convergingrecess into which the converging portion of said tube is seated, saidlower portion consisting of angularly arranged sides and the walls ofsaid recess being correspondingly shaped 'to prevent axial rota? tion ofthe tube, and resilient means for maintaining said tube in engagementwith said footeplate.

5. column for rock-drilling engines, comprising a supporting tubehavingk a converging lower portion, a foot-plate having a convergingrecess into which the converging portion of said tube extends and alongthe upper edgeiof which said tube is seated, said recess being enlargedbeneath the seat to allow movement of the end of the tube and thuspermit tilting of said tube, and resilient means for maintaining saidtube iii engagement with said foot-plate.

6. A column for rock-drilling engines, comprising a supporting tubehaving ak converging squared lower portion apertured at its. end, afoot-plate having a converging recess into which the converging portionof said tube is seated, said recess having sutilcient diameter below itsupper edge to permit the movementof said squared lower portion duringtilting of the tube, a bolt connecting said foot-plate and said tubethrough said aperture and recess, and a coiled spring interposed betweenthe upper end of said bolt and the apertured portion of the tube foryieldingly maintaining said tube in engagement with said foot-plate.

7. A column for rock-drilling engines, comprising a supporting tubehaving a lower portion approximating an inverted truncated pyramid inshape, a foot-plate having a converging recess forming a seat along itsupper edge for the lower portion votsa'id tube, the walls of said recessbeing outwardly curved in the portion of their length opposite the endof the lower portion of said tube, and means for yieldingly maintainingsaid tube in engagement with said foot-plate.

8.- A column for rock-drilling engines,

comprising a supporting tube having a lower portion approximating aninverted truncated pyramid in shape, and apertured at its end, afoot-plate having a converging iis recess formingr n sent along itsupper edge the portion of their length opposite the end of the lowerportion of said tube to permit the movement of siiid lower portionduring tilting of the tube, a bolt connecting said foot-plate and saidtube through said iperture and recess, and a coiled spring inter- 10posed between the upper end of said bolt and the upertured. portion ofthe tube for yieldingly maintaining said tube in engagement with saidfoot-plate. i

In testimony whereof I eix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

n JOHN GEORGE LEYNER.

vWitnesses: l

G, SARGENT ELLIo'rr, JESSE DrrsoN.

